1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to air navigation obstacle notification systems and more specifically it relates to an air navigation obstacle reporting and notification system for providing a centralized obstruction notification system to aircraft pilots regarding unreported and/or unmarked obstructions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has published requirements defining when an obstacle to aerial navigation (e.g. power line, telecommunication tower, wind turbine, etc.) must be reported to the agency. Many obstacles are sized or located such that they fall outside of reporting requirements, and collisions with such obstacles are becoming more frequent.
FAA guidelines also specify marking and lighting requirements for reportable obstacles to enhance a pilot's ability to see and avoid them. Although the FAA encourages marking and lighting compliance for unreportable obstacles, they do not mandate it. When used, the recommended paint schemes and other marking mechanisms are prone to deterioration over time, and lighting systems are frequently out of service. Even when maintenance is not a problem, these measures are often rendered inadequate because of weather conditions or unique terrain features.
Some aircraft are equipped with a terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS) to provide obstacle situational awareness to pilots, and ground-based systems such as the Obstacle Collision Avoidance System (OCAS) can provide pilots with additional warnings. One of the problems with current in-aircraft systems is that the obstacle databases only include information about obstacles that have been reported to and assessed by the FAA. Unfortunately, these obstacle databases are only updated on a limited schedule (at best, every 28 to 56 days), and maintenance of these databases is a manual, time-consuming process. Furthermore, unless an obstacle is significant enough in size and importance, companies are unlikely to spend the money required to equip an obstacle with a supplementary warning system such as OCAS.
Because of the inherent problems with the related art, there is a need for a new and improved air navigation obstacle reporting and notification system for providing a centralized obstruction notification system to aircraft pilots regarding unreported and/or unmarked obstructions.